Hi everyone! So recently I saw a video of someone's enclosure where there was a pond in the set up. I was wondering how one might go about doing that? Like, what kind of filter do I use, and should I use gravel or a pool liner? (I feed him outside of the tank so impaction won't be a problem.) thanks
Whisper, tetra, ehiem all have filters that work in water levels around 2". The rest is up to you. You could keep a water level with a false bottom then slope your terrain to one side or you could find a 2-3" deep Tupperware container then put the filter in there and maybe build the bottom up with large flat stones. My concern would be cold water and nitrates building up with such a small amount of water.
Also doing it this way you need cycled filter media. After a while you filter establishes a bacteria colony that will break down ammonia into nitrite then other bacteria will break that down into nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites are bad. Nitrates are less toxic but water has to be changed to remove them before the reach harmful levels. With only a small amount of water your dilution will be minimal with nitrates which means you will be changing water often. This is imo a lot of work for minimum payoff with a frog like a pacman. A water bowl that you change daily would be a more efficient option.
Another thing to remember is yes it would be nice to have that nice water feature but will he actually use it. I change my bowl of water every day but out of all honesty he maybe goes in it once or twice a week for like 5 mins, long enough to poop and pee in it. L.O.L IMO it seems like more work then needed for a pacman frog, and as pyru said you will still have to change water frequently anyway due to nitrates and ammonia build up. Unless you have a frog or toad that spends a lot of time in the water I would stick with a nice big water bowl.
I really wouldn't recommend it unless you plan on changing the water daily. We lost our wonderful Pyxie Ham to what our best conclusion was water toxicity a few months ago. I had set up a large water feature of about 3 gallons, with a filter, water changed weekly or any time it looked fouled, and everything was good for nearly a year, then one morning I woke up to her dead in her pond, and it had been changed 3 days prior. Necropsy showed nothing and the vet said she was extremely healthy and everything pointing to the water. She loved the water feature, but it's not worth the risk unless you are going to go with a professional setup with high quality filters and diligent water quality monitoring with regular flushes and treatment. I would do it to have her back, but I know it's more work than most would muster, especially since pacmans seem content with just a water bowl.
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